City Connections: IIT Stuart Students at Chicago Social Media Week - Part 1
Several IIT Stuart undergraduate and graduate students attended Social Media Week Chicago this past September, a week-long series of events that takes place in cities around the world featuring experts, iconic brands, and leading thinkers sharing their ideas and inspiration. Thank you to IIT Stuart undergraduate student Caren Ong for sharing her experiences and insights from the week.
IIT Stuart: Tell us about the sessions you attended and what you learned.
Caren: I was able to attend some amazing sessions!
You 2.0: How to manage your personal online reputation
In this session I learned how to manage my virtual reputation. The speaker was the Director of Social Media from Crain Communications. She was very knowledgeable in terms of utilizing search engine optimization to improve one’s reputation online. For example, if you have bad media associated with your name, you need to work on getting the good media to be the first few “hits” that people see. I also learned that consistency is important when it comes to how you present yourself online. It’s all about how you want people to perceive you and how you should present yourself.
Social Recipe Exchange: Recipes as recommendations for food brands in the social space
Experts from this session taught me that sometimes simple is the best strategy when you want your audiences to really understand your content. They also made a very thought-provoking point about food being a very “social” aspect that engages people because food is always a very sharable and interesting subject to talk about.
Amazon Knows You Better Than Your Spouse: The future of metrics
I learned about the importance of metrics for an organization and how valuable it is to have data and marketing analysis. For example, a father was shocked to find out that Target actually found out his daughter was pregnant before him! Target started sending coupons related to pregnancy to her based on her past spending habits. I learned that metrics are and will be the future of all marketing tactics.
Beyond Listening: The Social Data Opportunity
Through this session I learned that while we should be careful about what our numbers tell us, we should also be aware of the surroundings and circumstances that provide context and might sometimes be more accurate than the numbers. I also learned that while Twitter has a huge amount of information available, being able to dissect these data is the most complicated part.
Social Media and the Music Industry
The music industry utilizes a lot of social media to get the word out and unite different fan bases. Stars use Twitter and Facebook to seem more like a ‘person’ than a brand, it humanizes them and makes them more appealing to the fans. Interactions on these social media platforms also increases fan loyalty and engagement.
IIT Stuart: Were you able to take advantage of any networking opportunities during the week?
Caren: I went to the opening night Networking Party and got to talk to the founder of Rockit Ranch Productions, who is also an IIT alum! His name is Billy Dec. He was really nice and even gave me his business card.
IIT Stuart: How have you been able to connect content from SMWChicago to what you're learning in class?
Caren: I was taking consumer behavior and marketing research during fall semester. While it is useful to learn the theories in class, it was really exciting to learn from field experts and listen to their personal experiences! For example, I learned more about using metrics to understand and analyze consumer spending and send them information on what they may like based on their past spending records. I also learned how to put the statistical information I learned in marketing research class into perspective, giving me a better idea of what those numbers actually mean.
IIT Stuart: Will what you learned inform how you utilize social media personally and professionally?
Caren: Yes! I manage social media for both the Entrepreneurship Academy and Undergraduate Business Council. I am definitely able to utilize these skills I learned in those areas, especially in terms of engaging audiences and increasing click rates.
IIT Stuart: Would you recommend IIT Stuart students attend next time?
Caren: Definitely! It was a very rewarding experience and a refreshing way to learn more about social media!
